State basketball: Towson men beat Drexel, 80-68, for fourth win in a row

Benimon posts 8th double double in row, scores 27

January 15, 2014|From Sun staff reports

Forward Marcus Damas tied his career high with 26 points and Towson extended its winning streak to four games Tuesday night with an 80-68 victory over host Drexel.

Damas went 4-for-5 from 3-point range.

Senior forward Jerrelle Benimon had 27 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists for the Tigers (11-6, 2-0 Colonial Athletic Association). It marked the eighth consecutive doubledouble for the CAA Preseason Player of the Year, and the fifth game in a row he finished with 20 or more points.

Benimon had a doubledouble by halftime, 13 points and 10 rebounds, leading to a 38-29 Towson lead. The Tigers pushed the margin to 44-31 just 2:31 into the second half. Drexel (9-7, 1-2) got no closer than nine points the rest of the way.

The Tigers shot 55.3 percent from the field (26-for-47) and made eight of their 16 3-point attempts. Damas finished 8-for-10 from the field, while Benimon went 10-for-14 and converted both of his 3-point attempts.

Drexel guard Chris Fouch had 28 points to lead all scorers. Guard Frantz Massenat added 21 for Drexel. The rest of the team combined for 19 points on 7-of-26 shooting.

Next for Towson is a Sunday game at Charleston. Drexel plays at UNC Wilmington on Saturday.

Washington College 87, Ursinus 70: The host Shoremen (4-10), who never trailed, improved their Centennial Conference record to 3-4 with a win over the Bears (2-12, 0-7).

Washington's John Weston was 8-for-18 from the field and 3-for-5 from the 3-point line for a game-high 22 points. Three other Shoremen scored in double digits.

Dickinson 75, Johns Hopkins 65: Host Dickinson (12-2, 7-0 Centennial) used a late 12-3 run to turn a two-point deficit into a seven-point lead.

Senior Connor McIntyre got the Blue Jays (7-7, 4-3) back within five with 1:49 on the clock with a basket in the paint, but Dickinson would secure the win at the free-throw line, going 5-for-8 in the final 43 seconds. Gene Williams led the Blue Jays with a career-high 20 points.

McDaniel 63, Swarthmore 57: McDaniel (10-4, 5-2 Centennial) had three double-figure scorers and was 22-for-36 from the field. Andrew Merlo led McDaniel with 16 points, while Joe Keedy of the host Phoenix (5-9, 2-5) led all scorers with 17.

Lindsey Nichols matched her career best with 16 points, including a career-high three 3-pointers, to lead McDaniel. Steph Perez added 16 points, including a pair of 3-pointers as part of the season-best seven made shots from long range.